KND The Beginning
by Cerulean Misty Blue
Summary: I reached back as far as I could and my fingers inched across an inch away from the diary, frustrated that I was so close, yet so very far. I strained my fingers to where they felt like they were going to come off from the joints. . .
1. Chapter 1 The Beginning

**KND - Operation - The Beginning**

"You won't get away so easily, number one. Not this time." crackled a voice that sounded like a whisper in my ear as I was lifted off my feet and found myself in a boy's arms. The noisy click-clack of thick silver metal against each other could be heard as a sudden burst of energy propelled me and the boy through the ancient house. The two KND's operatives could hear the clack-clack of the delightful children's heeled shoes as they ran after number one and the stringy haired brunette.

Something bright red and fiery hot streaked by Number One's face and it sizzled right past him into the nearby wall as he adjusted in his flight pattern. I thought we were safe for sure - Nigel was so fast and confident, I had no doubts, but then someone seized hold of my shoes and yanked hard - I really did think my ankle was going to break. I turned my head around, being difficult to do since we were going at a neck-breaking speed, and saw just the silhouette of Father, the number one enemy of the knd, gripping my shoe in his hand.

He was grinning, and while the rockets on Number One's shoes were making it difficult for him, we were slowing down - Father was winning. . . I slipped from his protective grasp and was hung upside down by the arch nemesis of KND and more specifically, Nigel. I gasped for breath - it'll do that to you after going that fast - Number One looked back and cried out my name but I looked pleadingly at him. "No, save yourself!" I begged. "Go, NOW!" I screamed, feeling quite dizzy. . .

* * *

But I suppose your wondering how I and Number one ended up in said situation? It's very simple actually - or maybe it's not. I happened to come across some vital information while in the knd library - a massive collection of books that had been collected from the very beginning of time - or at least written time. It was a mountain of books in over one thousand bookcases. It was next to the museum of artifacts - the items from the museum would be categorized in the library.

This is where I came in - I was an assistant curator - never allowed to touch the artifacts, but I was to catalogue them on paper. And then I was to put the journals in a secret section of the library - it was concealed behind the middle bookcase on the back wall. Pulling certain books in a special order was the only way to enter - and only I and the other curators knew the combination.

A few days ago, I was going through some papers, and putting them in order in the secret office behind the bookcase - it was a little musty and a bit cold, so I poked a log in the fireplace and lit a fire. Warming my hands up in the light of the fire, I smiled as I looked through a window - it was one of those half-mooned ones with old green panes, but it was cleaned well. A mug of hot cocoa I had just made greeted me close to the table where I worked at as I glanced outside at the dawning sun peek in through the window.

Pulling my computer chair up to the table, I glanced at it as I blew on the hot cocoa. Sipping on it now would certainly mean a burnt tongue if not worse - unless you had a heat reducer tablet - which had recently been created in the knd laboratories. I popped one of those into my mouth, which cooled it down faster than a Yorkie Peppermint Patty before I sipped.

My chocolate colored brown hair hung down in my face, and my glasses hung on the bridge of my nose as I scanned the works when a strong, wintery wind blew down the fireplace, causing a shiver down my spine and all of the papers on the desk to scatter everywhere. "Ack! The papers!" I called in distress, and quickly went to collect all of the papers. "Let's see, here's one - ooh, here's another one. . ." I mumbled as I grabbed another paper underneath the desk.

Another one was hiding behind the bust of Number Zero, one of the greatest and first heroes of the knd. Another one - I found it underneath one of the bookcases - just the tell tale white corner stood out in the slightly dusty room. I had to bend down and lay on the floor to get that one. And then something caught my eye. In the very back of the bookshelf was a dusty old book, the binding breaking in several spots.

I reached back as far as I could and my fingers inched across an inch away from the diary, frustrated that I was so close, yet so very far. I strained my fingers to where they felt like they were going to come off from the joints, and I felt a smile come to my pale lips as one hooked the sloping bend of the binding. I let out a sigh of relief and slid it closer so I could grab it. Soon I had the treasure in my hand, and I coughed slightly from the dust.

"What is this?" I wondered aloud. My dark eyes scanned the cover first and I didn't find anything on the green leather cover besides a name in the corner, and a strange marking. It looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn't remember where I had seen it before. Puzzling over it, I flipped it onto the back, and there in the corner I found the remnants of a name, but it was too badly worn that I couldn't make it out. Hm, I would have to put the other curators look it up. But for now . . . an actual undiscovered artifact! And I would get to see it first! Excitement flooded through me like a jolt of electricity.

I was very careful as I opened the front cover. The musty smell of old paper greeted my nose - an old, familiar scent that I loved dearly. I noted that the paper was yellow in color and tattered along the edges. On the first page was what looked like a name, but it was unreadable - the inking was too light. But above it was 'Journal' printed in large letters boldly in black ink. It looked to be about 50 years or so ago. "Could this possibly be before Number Zero, Number One's Father?" I mumbled, fascinated. Flipping the pages with the uttermost care, I read on, absorbed in the journal. There was an old story of the first female commander of knd, though it wasn't known as the knd at first. It was the Kids Rebellion.

Number One was my biggest hero, after he saved my little sister from being changed into a zombie-adult during the time when Number Zero was re-commissioned. Not to mention that I had always thought that he was . . . well, cute. I pushed the thought to the side for the moment, but I couldn't stop my face from turning a dusky pink. One day, I hoped to get the chance to meet him, and to thank him for everything. But that wasn't what I was concerned with now. The journal – the journal no one had yet discovered. But me. I began to devote my attention to it now.

_June 21,  
Today, the operatives at Kids Rebellion have been preparing for a counterstrike against the adults. We've tried in the past to hit the coffee houses of the adults with balloon air strikes, but alas, it is always withstood our attacks. So tonight, we're going to plan an internal operation – it could be dangerous, but my team from Sector Z was going to do it – the five of us along with the legendary zero himself. We were going to go in for it tonight, after the coffee stores shut down at nine tonight. But now, we must prepare.  
Sector Z Leader Ashley  
_

I gasped. The five Sector Z members that were permanently delightfulized by the evil Father. Here was their stories! This journal was their leader's journal! This had to be turned in as soon as possible – but the lure of the story was pulling me in – or rather, sucking me in. I leaned in, eyes widened as I read the words on the page for a second time to grasp everything. And then I noticed a marking directly underneath the Z. A stamped mark of a z inside of a circle, the z in a pretty, girlish cursive writing. Was this the symbol for Sector Z?  
And even more, could this journal show exactly what happened to them - how they had been turned into the delightful children down the lane? What if there was a way to recommission them again – permanently? The pieces of the old camera-shaped converter were still in existence, it was merely broken. But could it be fixed? I knew some operatives were working on it in secret, but had they succeeded? I would have to go and ask a certain friend about it in the archives.  
So, now I had a slight dilemma – to take the book with me, and risk someone seeing it or to leave it here. Could I disguise it somehow? I bit my lip and frowned. Well, maybe I could keep it out of sight somehow. . . I gathered a few books and tucked the old journal between them. I didn't want to turn it in just yet – there was so much more to learn from this book. And, if the other curators discovered it, I would never lay my hands on it again, I thought. So I headed towards the museum, the journal tucked safely out of sight. . .


	2. Chapter 2 The Journal & The Incident

**Chapter 2 – The Journal & The Incident**

I looked out of the small peephole inside of the bookcase that worked as thedoor to my and the other curator's office, and found no one around – it was concealed by the scientific minded technology – it looked complete, but only we knew it was there. No one was around, so I clicked the switch back, and slipped out, placing the bookcase that was really a door back in place. Happy with it, I slipped over to the museum, waving hi to my favorite librarian – Number 458. She was stern, but also a wonderful person with a love of books so deep, she'd go all adult on anyone who even scratched the cover of her beloved books.  
"I never! You're here already Number 222?! How in all of K.N.D. do you get in here so early?!" she exclaimed as she moved some of her rich brown hair behind her ear, showing her hawk-like yellow eyes clearly. Those eyes scared some of the newbies so much, they ran out of the library screaming their little heads off. Well, some of the older ones that were not paying attention to the way they took care of their books in her sight often got a treat they didn't want – getting a very large, heavy book being cracked over their head. Not a nice way to greet the morning . . .  
"I . . . slipped in here early this morning. I love to watch the sun rise –" I started to say when she went wide eyed. "Two Twenty-two, the sun is just starting to rise NOW! You were here before the sun! Come to think about it, you always are . . ." she mused. "Heh, you might be right about that 458. I got to go though, got someone to chat to about something." I said, turning to leave when I heard her snort.  
I grinned at her and gave a little wave, as she shrugged at me and there was a tiny hint of a smile on her pale pink lips. "Back to work eh? Alright, well, I have work myself, so go along. Shoo!" said Number 458. I laughed and opened the door to leave when she cleared her throat. "Amber, just be careful – something doesn't sit right with this situation. I don't know, but I have a bad feeling about something."  
The frown on my face matched the one on hers. But then I pushed it aside. "Oh come on, nothing exciting happens to curators, just archaeologists." I reassured her, but I couldn't help but feel a slight unease in the air. Maybe there was something up. But I couldn't let it deter me now. I twisted the knob and closed it gently behind me, letting out a deep breath.  
I would have to be careful about it. That was a sign – Nicky was always right about her feelings. She and I had been best friends since kindergarten – no before that. Maybe since we were younger. No matter – got to keep my mind on the book.  
Now, who was I going to see, I bet you are wondering? Well, any of the other curators would have quickly snatched the book from me, but I trusted the head curator for some odd reason. Maybe it was because he was such a fan boy of number zero and number one, like I was – well, more of number one than number zero – but that wasn't the point. He also possessed an amazing brain that contained a massive amount of knowledge about the history of the knd and before. Therefore, I had to approach him. I just prayed that he wouldn't take the journal from me. Not yet!  
I softly knocked on the door to his office and sucked in a deep breath before I saw a shock of red hair and his thick, purple glasses hanging down off of his nose. Matthew, who liked to be called Matt, was standing there with several thick, heavy books in his arms. "Oh eh, hi Amber, what's new?" he asked, balancing a cup of pink ice cream on top of the books and papers. I pulled a face. "Sir, you are going to ruin the documents!" I hissed and he looked a little surprised as I grabbed the ice cream and set it on the desk with an aspirated sigh. He couldn't hold a chuckle as I tsk-tsked him.  
"Forget the ice cream Am, tell me what you've found since you've all this way." He said with a slight grin – well, it wasn't quite that far, as it was right next door to the library, but then I was always absorbed in his work, that I hardly got to come over anymore. I grinned back at him and nodded to the door after stepping into his office.  
I could see the surprise and excitement flashing in his eyes. He knew it would be something big, or I wouldn't have dragged him into his office. He quickly shut the door quietly and I pulled out the notebook – he took it from me almost immediately. I had to smile though, because I knew he would do that. I heard him gasp audibly as he spotted the mark on the front and his eyes dilated. He looked up at me with an amazed expression and I smiled. Ooh this was great! "W-where did you find this?!" he managed to gasp out. "It's the funniest thing – I was organizing papers and . . ." I started to say and continued to tell him the rest of it. "And now, you and I are the only ones to know of it yet. Any luck with the recommissioning machine?" I asked, curious. He nodded but his smile didn't quite reach his dark eyes. "Yes, but there are still certain components that we can't locate at the moment. We're working on replacing a few parts with better ones – I know that Sector Z hopes we do complete it. But this journal – its connected to the missing five from Sector Z, isn't it?" he asked and I nodded.  
"More than that, this journal belonged to Ashley, the head of the missing Sector Z set." I added. And grinned wide when I watched his eyes widen even more – nearly to the size of dinner plates, magnified by his lenses - and his jaw dropped. "Your joking! This might be the very thing we were looking for. Am, let me hold onto it for a bit – just for today, then I'll give it back. After all, it is your findings." He said, and I nodded. I wasn't exactly happy with it, but it was just one afternoon, right?  
Just then, I heard a scuffling sound outside as one of the curators was shoved and someone in a black robe was racing down the tiled floor – heading straight towards the balcony where every Wednesday the museum would hold a fun astrology exercise. The perpetrator leaped right up on it, grinned at me – and I could feel a shiver caress my spine, and chill me to the bone – as he leaped right off of the balcony. The black robed person dived, like a wingless bird, and terror rose - I knew the person wasn't going to make it – no matter what he or she was, they weren't going to make it. But at seemingly the very last moment, a hang glider opened from nowhere.  
But why was someone spying on us? I stepped away shakily from the balcony, feeling dizzy from all that had happened today, and as I went to turn around, I tripped and fell – I closed my eyes tight and braced myself for the fall when I didn't feel, well, the cold tiled floor. I slowly opened my eyes and this time, it was my turn to have eyes as large as dinner plates. I could feel the chilly floor under my palms, but it was the only cold I felt. Underneath me, Nigel Uno, or more commonly referred to as Number One, had broken my fall. Well, my fall, but not his.  
My face heated quickly as he rubbed his eyes – his glasses were off and, as I looked at him, mine were too. They had skidded away from us thank goodness. I reached out for mine so I could see better – and to get up fast as I could when I accidently grabbed his instead. He was slipping mine on too, and I couldn't help but chuckle, though I was nervous. "Ah, here, I think we grabbed the wrong glasses." I said, and gave him his. He put his own pair on, and handed me mine. "Prescription huh?" I asked and he looked surprised but nodded, the faintest hint of a smirk playing on his thin lips.  
"Aw, that's so sweet." came a sarcastic reply from Matt, who was enjoying this immensely – perhaps because number one had tricked him into thinking he was George Washington for so long. Which was a little mean, I thought. "So, how long are you two going to stay there?" he asked, and we both got up quickly, my face reddening faster than ever. "Alright then, I'm here. What's the emergency? And DON'T say you want me to get you another ice cream!" said Number One with slight irritation.  
Matt snorted. "Of course not. Number 362 lets me keep a miniature fridge in my office for that. No, someone just left here with some very vital information – that there is a journal that was written by the missing Sector Z's leader Ashley. Of course we know that the delightfulization procedure is permanent, but can be reversed for a little while – we're working to turn that to our favor." Explained Matt, but then I saw the pain in Nigel's eyes for just a moment before he pushed his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose. Ah, then the topic was a sore spot then. And no wonder, his father had been Zero, the greatest hero of knd, not to mention the first. Before the Zero incident, Nigel had not known either – no one had, in fact. So, naturally this had to be surprising.  
I was so entranced with Nigel Uno, hero of all of knd, that I nearly missed what Matt said next – nearly. "I think that Amber may be in danger. I'm not sure how much the snoop heard, but if the wrong side was to find out about this journal, it would be very bad. . . very bad indeed. So here 222, take this. Its your responsibility as our new curator. That's right, you are no longer in training anymore. Your job is to unravel this diary and make a full report whenever you can."  
I felt faint. Matt, ah, number 101 just called me by my number, which was rare. He never called me that unless it was serious, or upset with me. Which was usually frequently. I stared up at him, him being taller than me. Heck, I was only eleven while Matt was 12. And I could tell he was serious. I was no longer a stupid trainee – I was a real, breathing curator! But I remembered he said that my life was also in danger.  
"Wait, who am I in danger from?" I asked, taking a chance to glance at numbah one. He was as cute as I thought he was, and I couldn't stop a faint pink streak from my face. Then I cleared my throat, but my words were a bit shaky as I spoke. "Y-yes sir, I certainly w-will, and I accept both the challenge and the position." I said, standing up as straight as I could.  
He nodded and turned to look at Nigel. "Please protect her Numba One, she's our best curator." Said Matt and I turned my head to look at them both. I couldn't help but smile faintly as I noticed his glasses had slipped down his nose again – even though this was my very fate that was in their hands – and not mine. I was being pulled towards an uncertain future, and I couldn't help feeling excited and yet apprehensive. And then I saw that familiar smirk that I've seen on Nigel's face a hundred times when he delivered his reports.  
"Naturally - just leave it all to me." He said, acting cool as ice, as he pushed his glasses up once again. My heart beat faster than just a moment ago. So now what? Numba One faced me and my brown eyes flicked to him, but not without a little color on my face. "I'll give you a few moments to gather anything you need and then we'll leave. Your not safe here." He said and I nodded, rushing away as quickly as I could. I really liked Numba One, but I was so afraid that I'd never get to see Matt, Gena, Michal or Nikky ever again! Gena and Michal were the other curators, and while they were sometimes – well, usually – mean to me, but I would still miss them both. And Nikky – Nikky I would miss dearly.  
I went into my room, not far from the library as I looked around at what to take. I took a bag from my bed and put my brush in it, as well as my hair bands and ribbons in it – yellow was my favorite color, so I always wore it up in my hair, either in a braid or a ponytail. Then I moved around the room, feeling like I was walking through water, towards my nightstand where my mother and father's picture was. I took it out and smiled at it. My parents had died – my mom from having me, and my dad a year or two later. An older associate of the knd adopted me before I could go to an orphanage, and when I was five, I entered the knd. The photo was not a colored photo, but it had held up nicely for these many years.  
I didn't hear him come in. He had footprints as soft as a cat's. He peaked over my shoulder at the picture. "Your parents?" he asked in a soft voice that startled me, and made me drop the picture. Like a panther, Numba One moved with grace unequalled to what I thought he had, and snagged the picture bare centimeters from the ground. I let out a small gasp. "T-thank you, N-number one." I breathed. He nodded and handed it back to me. "I didn't mean to startle you." He said apologetically, a hand touching the back of his hairless head in habit. I gave him a small smile as I tucked it away safely. "I wanted to know if you were ready yet." He asked and I nodded. "Almost, just a few clothes to get." I said and went to my dresser, pulling out certain things to put in my bag. Finally, I was done, and so were, I thought, my choices in life at the moment. "Alright, ready." I said and zipped the bag up. Numba One nodded and gripped me around the waist suddenly. He whispered that the sooner he got me out of here, the less danger I would be in. So, he clicked his heels twice and we were gone, as though we were never there, only the tell-tale smoke from the jets hung around for just a moment before they, too, disappeared.


End file.
